Monday, February 4, 2013

No. I do not think that taxing the super rich is fair. Part of the main reason for my thinking is that what we're really taxing is the hard work and risk taking of a select percentage of people in this country. And let's face it. Their hard work and risk taking has a benefit to us all at the end of the day.

Where exactly do any of us think our jobs come from?

Not only that, but being that we live in a capitalist economy, all of us have an opportunity to own the stocks of the companies these super rich ultimately create as well. That is, this opportunity is afforded to those who also wish to learn and understand the ins and outs of business, the stock market, capitalism, the economy, and are willing to take on a little bit of risk ourselves.

Yes. We're the little guy. We're the low man on the totem pole. What we risk carries more danger because we have less to risk, and perhaps arguably more to lose if something goes wrong. But, ask any successful businessman about the number of failed businesses he tried before he landed on one that worked. Ask any successful businessman about what he ate for dinner, if he ate at all, and how he lived in his car for weeks, if not months until his business was able to begin to produce a profit and generate a return.

Not all rich people got their money from daddy. In fact, statistically, most of the richest people in this country are self-made. They started with nothing.

Is it fair that they are rich and we are not? It depends on how you view the world. Of course, my stance is that it is fair to be rich if you've done what is necessary to become rich. It is equally fair to be poor if you've done nothing to at least take a stab at becoming rich. Having your hand out, having wishful thinking, and having dreams of what could be (or even what we desire) is not the means to getting to where we want to go. We all need to be very aware of this.

The fact is that some people simply want riches, but they don't want the hard work and risk that goes along with that. And then there's that lot who believe that riches come from luck. From circumstance. This good fortune and circumstance is unfair, and must be made right by having them give up some of the fruits of their good fortune to those who are less fortunate to have such luck.

There is also that crowd of people who are simply convinced that the entire system of money is rigged. As a result of this thinking, they resent everything to do with money. And especially those who have it. Rather than take the time to figure out how they too can be a part of this very opportunity filled system we call capitalism, they focus on what they earn, or what they don't earn, and don't do much at all to change the direction of their finances. Most certainly they do not take advantage of any of the opportunities that abound to get themselves ahead financially.

I do invest in the stock market. But why am I not in business? Look, I make a pretty mean spaghetti sauce, and there have been untold numbers of times I have considered starting my own spaghetti sauce factory. There is a very good reason this has not happened for me as of yet, and that is because I have not taken the time to go down to my local health department and figure out how to get my kitchen certified. I've never looked into getting a business license, and never really delved too deeply into canning processes for sauces. I've never looked into how I might market this product, or how I might separate my own spaghetti sauce from the hundred or so other brands of sauces that are on the shelves—or how I might get my product on a shelf at all.

The reason my sauce is not on the market right now, and not being produced in my own spaghetti sauce factory is because I haven't taken the time, spent the money, nor taken on any risk to do that. Should I carry resentment for Ragu? Prego? Emeril?

The simple answer is that I should only resent myself. I haven't done anything to start my spaghetti sauce factory and that is why I do not have one.

And as far as the super rich go? If I'm not super rich it is not because I cannot be. It is because I haven't done what they have done to become as rich as they are. Until then, I suppose I can continue to dream, play the markets, save my money, and enjoy the fact that I will have to work for them until the day arrives—if it arrives—that I decide to something to change my own circumstance.

About Me

Jim Bauer currently resides with his wife in Southern Illinois, recently transplanted from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Writing is a passion, from the serious commentary to the blabbering ramble. "So long as the pen keeps moving, life is good." He also writes music and plays guitar. His original song "102 Idle Stones" can be found on Amazon MP3 and iTunes among other places. He is also editor of the horror fiction anthology, "Dark Whispers," as Ivan S. Graves, available in Kindle format.